reasons I believe that the end of st is fake (regardless of if we get new content)
Just for my own peace of mind I am listing reasons here. I will add to it arbitrarily.
Mike doesn't look at Will in the van scene flashback when Vecna is showing Will memories to mess with him. The memories are (presumably) bad enough on their own, but this one is actually different from the original scene (aka it's fake). When Will is turned and crying, Mike looks at him in the actual episode. But when Vecna is forcing him to relive it, at the exact moment Mike IS supposed to look over, he doesn't.
There is a parallel during the rink o mania scene where El is running away from Mike after she gets the milkshake thrown on her to the scene where the military are holding Mike back when she is sacrificing herself. Record playing (Wipeout)/Mike is the one trying to get the music to stop. He's yelling El's name. This was crazy to realize and it indicates that they actually WERE thinking ahead. It indicates they actually DO understand foreshadowing and not everything is simply coincidence. The milkshake Mike bought El is the same one Jake uses to throw on her. Mike's bomb is the one that (maybe) ends her life (either literally or metaphorically)
BIRTHDAYGATE IN GENERAL. All the references to Will's birthday behind the scenes. Joyce not remembering Will's age.
Mike, Joyce and Jonathan posters ALL looking off to the side (not directly at the camera). They were the ONLY characters present during Will's possession when Joyce mentioned his birthday. During season 4, the only character who's poster had them looking away was MAX. And the duffers explained that it was for a reason because she was going to have a difficult season (aka affected by vecna).
How much footage is leftover that they didn't use. Idk what normal is for leftover footage in the industry, but 630+ hours/a petabyte worth of unused footage seems extreme? But I'm not knowledgeable of what's normal, so, maybe not a big deal???
Official stranger things cookbook (Karen Wheeler's cheese-pineapple boats recipe) saying that the upside down has both Holly AND Mike.
stranger things game level 6 the hydra, talking about defeating a scientist. You have to beat it more than once. Two times it's the "scientist", last time it's the final form, the true hydra. Just the concept of having to defeat something more than once + there IS two scientists (brenner/kay)???
PAPA. (Matthew Modine's weird posts)
Will's painting being different in Mike's epilogue. Lucas' shield, the colors are flipped. Blue and yellow. They said they made multiple versions, but why use one we never saw the ONLY other time we see it???
they went back and got rid of the issue with the logo on Holly's shirt (it's not there anymore), but they've yet to go back and change ANY other "inconsistency" that people have pointed out. The dial, the tower changing color, the flyers in the background changing color, Karen's scars, rink o mania happening on Will's birthday (which they SAID they were going to change and never did). It seems like if something IS genuinely unintentional, they have no problem going back and changing it immediately. But things that are purposeful, they keep.
Mike STILL not being able to say ily to El. What was the point of his season 4 arc (from the perspective of the GA)? Even from a M11 standpoint, I don't see how it makes sense. "He's just so afraid of losing her!". Okay? He was losing her. M11s seriously think it's romantic that Mike chose his own comfort over El's with that reading of it? He was scared? So he didn't do the thing she wanted him to? And the other reading of it is that him saying it would have been him "accepting" her decision to sacrifice herself. There is no reason he couldn't say it AND still argue that she deserves to live. He can do both. Not to mention with the ending of s4, this should NOT be an issue anymore. He literally was supposed to get over it at the end of s4. If that confession was actually authentic. (Hint: it definitely was not lmao)
Dustin becoming friends with people who bullied not only him but Lucas, Mike and Will. They killed a snake and disrespected Eddie. Like, are you kidding me? I'm all for a redemption arc, I literally love them, but we didn't see one and they killed an animal. And we never saw them apologize about Eddie. It's just so backwards. The opposite of the message of what the show was originally. Like, in theory, becoming friends with unlikely people is good. But accepting that you aren't going to loved by EVERYONE and finding people who DO understand and care about you (aka being an outcast) is also important???
I could go ON AND ON AND ON AND ON AND ON AND ON AND ON about all the byler stuff that doesn't make sense with the given ending but Lumax reheating Byler's nachos from season 2 and everyone acting like it's a new concept is actually insane.
WSQKsync.
Mike going out of his way to avoid touching Will in vol 2 when that would have been ALL that was needed to wake him up as proven in the finale when he calls Will's name ONE time and snaps him out of a trance. People are mad that we don't see Mike touch his arm (he does but it's out of frame), but like...he didn't even HAVE to. That is literally as strong (if not stronger) than what happened with Lumax. IN THE FINALE??????? How do more people not realize this?
The fact that they used the rink o mania picture for the credits (heroes playing ominously). It's Will's BIRTHDAY, I joke about there not being mileven moments to choose from but there ARE???, they edited Will out of a moment he was in (it's so............weird? To do that???), that day genuinely SUCKED for all parties involved. It was not cute, happy or a good moment to look back on and celebrate. Anyone who watched the episode, even people who ship mileven, will HAVE bad associations with that image.
Joyce's behaviour after he gets powers. The entire group just being like "let's not give a shit about the access vecna has to Will's mind!". Like it gets to a point.
The duffers being all "we wanted to focus on the final battle with our heroes" when questioned about Will's connection to the MF. He would have felt it. End of story. And also, is WILL not one of the heroes??? What a slap in the face to everyone who feels represented by Will. What a horrible thing to imply.
"We're Friends, Good Friends" track existing and not being used in the show. It directly refers to rovickie (it's what Robin says to Will when talking about Vickie) and also kind of to byler because of the friends no thanks best friends BULLSHIT. But, still somewhat references it.
The engagement ring being the same. Like, yeah, one could hc that Hopper found it and took it bc of sentimental value (if he found it in the room where one of the last interactions he had with El took place) but wtf, why would you not show that if that's the case? As it stands, we have no idea why it's the same.
Noah wearing Will's watch on his left wrist in behind the scenes footage for s5 when Will exclusively wore the watch on his right for the entirety of s5 (at least for what we saw). Like wtf.
Lover's Lake???????
The show ending with the Curse of Strahd campaign where it ends with strahd being defeated and the victory being temporary bc the character gets reborn and the cycle repeats. They could have ended it differently.
Vallaki??? Will goes to Vallaki??? Wtf is wrong with them if they don't rectify ts fr fr??? Idc if it's just a mistake they should have hired someone gd.
The documentary.
Ross/Matt (Idk who's who): "Good thing there isn't a season 6 or we would write you out of it" to Noah Schnapp. At the time it made me angry. Now it seems suspicious. Will is being erased. They essentially did write him out. The credits show this.
The "oops you said a spoiler" face Noah made to Millie when she was talking about a van scene. There are van scenes in s5 but what would Millie consider her favorite scene? They were all not that impactful. So even if they alluded to say, Joyce attempting to contact Jonathan, that doesn't explain Noah's reaction (nor it being her favorite scene). And she had to clarify "from season 4". Like, what other scene is like that? In s5 especially?
Mike's coffee hospital scene paralleling Will finding rovickie kissing. Like wdym there's an unfinished puzzle with Mike and Will's bears on a ship stfu. With rainbows.
Mike's barbie hands and him leaving space for Jesus in the voice scene.
Will building something when he was out in vol 2 as evidenced by his rapidly moving eyes.
The d20 debacle. They made it look like Finn rolled a 20, but it's supposed to be a 1. Why go through the trouble of editing it if you aren't going to edit the other numbers too? Like if they weren't implying something sinister to uncover why leave the other numbers as a clue for people to know that wasn't actually it.
#MIXTAPEGATE
Oklahoma
"Then let's make it a gay one"
Byler/Creelby parallels
Tales from 85 coming out April 23rd
Season 4 and 5 were written together
The duffers weirdness in interviews pre season 5 airing
Some of the cast actually believed byler was going to happen. Why? They know the duffers. Presumably the topic would have come up. If byler was NEVER in the cards/on the table why didn't they shut it down to the actual cast? They shut down ronance so this doesn't make any sense.
Murray's shirt having a triangle on it (and it generally resembling Mike's shirt from s4. Oh so they DID know what that implied?). Murray and Mr. Clarke being gay as all Hell at the graduation.
Rebel Yell (a byler anthem in wsqk - plays over tower scene. "More more more" plays over the "best friends" line) being used in tales from 85. My jaw dropped y'all. I was like, "that one tho???????"
JK95. 95 looks like S6 upside down. So JKS6.
"something very gay is going to happen" from netflix. y'all atp it fucking better???????
